Sonata of Memories
by Elixir9
Summary: Two years after the events of Dawn of Sorrow, Soma Cruz finds that moving on with life is easier said than done. Now a new evil force has arisen. Full summary inside. ch.13 up.
1. Chapter 1

**Sonata of Memories**

Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING Castlevania, except for a copy of Symphony's soundtrack. It is all copy-write to the God's at Konami. I also do not own The Vitruvian Man, which I believe I spelled wrong. That belongs to Leonardo DaVinci.

Full summary: A year after the events of Dawn of Sorrow, Soma Cruz finds that moving on with life is easier said than done. Now, another has stepped forward to try to reawaken the King of the Night. Soma finds himself in yet another battle to save what is left of his diminishing humanity. Characters from several games will come and go throughout the story.

A/N: Alrighty! So this is my first Castlevania fic. Please gentle. This game takes place two years after the end of Dawn of Sorrow. Everything in italics are thoughts. Oh and if anyone can tell me Joachim Armster's eye color, then I will send you virtual cupcakes. Anyway please read and review, and be gentle with your reviews please, because I'm still new at the whole fanfic thing. Sorry if Soma and everyone is OOC I'll try to get them more in character, but I had trouble getting this story started. The plot will pick up fairly quick in the next few chapters. Oh on last note. A sonata as defined by my computer is "A piece of classical music for a solo instrument or a small ensemble consisting of several movements, at least one of which is in sonata form". I chose the word Sonata because of the several movements part. Several different events will come together in this story to create one big event. Now here's the real reason you clicked this title…the story!

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **

**Prologue:**

_Sigh. _"Well, it's been about three years since IT all began. The dawn of my sorrows, and it's been around two years since IT ended for the second time…and yet; I still find myself asking…why?"

**Chapter 1:**

"Soma! Get up! You're gonna be late for class again!" Mina Hakuba stormed down the hallway of the small two bedroom apartment she shared with her life-long friend. "SOMA!"

Soma Cruz stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, sprawled across the bed as if reenacting DaVinci's Vitruvian Man. Only…Soma was wearing clothes. Mina opened the door loudly and stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. Soma could feel her glare and dared to avert his eyes to look at her.

"Soma," she started off calmly, "Get out of bed you lazy bum!"

Slowly, Soma rose with a loud sigh, he knew better than to make Mina any angrier. Although she rarely showed it, Mina could be as scary as Death himself when provoked. Soma sat up and moved his legs off the side of the bed, and slowly put his old shoes on.

"That's better." Mina smiled pleasantly. "Come on, I'll make you breakfast." And with that, Mina disappeared back down the hallway and into the kitchen. Soma couldn't help but smile to himself as she left.

Standing up, and walking slowly down the hallway, Soma entered the bathroom. He closed the door behind him in a trance-like habit, and found himself staring in the mirror. He knew full well that it was a pure miracle that he even still had a reflection. Tearing his gaze from the mirror to the now running water, Soma couldn't stop himself from remembering everything that had happened over the past three years. The images of monsters, blood, and creatures of the night flashed through his mind at light speed. Each image was dead silent and without color, like some old silent film, but; Soma knew just how recent those images were. He quickly splashed his face with cold water in order to erase them from the front of his mind. _I wonder if I could somehow drown them out of my mind… _he thought sullenly.

Soma had become so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard the door to the bathroom open…or Mina sneaking in. Without warning she pounced on his back. Soma jumped and turned around, one hand in front of him to catch whatever had attacked. When he saw that it was Mina, he put his hand on his chest and tried to calm his breathing.

"Mina…please don't do that…" he breathed heavily, not looking at her for a single second.

"Sorry," Mina said empathically. "You...were remembering the old days again?"

"Yeah…"

"Soma, dwelling on the past is a great way to ruin what the future has to offer." As she said this, Mina turned and walked out of the room waving her index finger back and forth over her shoulder, as if telling Soma that he was bad for remembering. The truth actually was that she didn't want Soma to see how much it upset her that he couldn't move on.

Mina turned and walked back out into the kitchen, with Soma a few feet behind her. They both sat at the small rectangular table and ate their breakfast in dead silence, neither one looking at the other. To Mina's surprise Soma put down his fork before he had eaten half his meal.

"Sorry, Mina…I'm just not hungry this morning…Anyway, I need to be getting to class." Soma feigned a lightened mood toward the end of his statement, and Mina knew it.

"Alright, I don't have class till later, so, I'll see you sometime tonight. Oh," Mina paused as if remembering something. "If you get the chance call Julius…he called for you the other day." Mina smiled again.

Soma merely nodded his head before putting his plate in the sink, and heading for the door.

_Julius, huh, I haven't talked to him in about a year…he used to call a lot…Just to check to check up on me. I still wish I could find a way to properly thank him for all of the help back then. _

Soma began to descend the three floors to the first floor of the building; nodding a simple "hello" to anyone he passed. It was a small building and so most people knew each other… he felt it would have been rude not to acknowledge their presence. Soma walked outside into the mid-day air. It was a reasonably warm day, but with a cool breeze…a typical spring day. Soma walked down the sidewalk and to the bus stop. Most people in Japan…especially college students like him preferred using a bus rather than spending money on a car and gas.

It wasn't long until the bus came, and Soma got on…finding it as crowded as ever. Soma went to his classes, all the while still in a trance-like state. He was conscious enough to take notes, but to not really comprehend what he was writing. After class, Soma walked down the street to the nearby park, he figured he should go ahead and call Julius. Soma sighed deeply and pulled out his cell phone, and called the number he had listed as Julius's. The phone rang a couple of times before a click sounded, and a rather young voice answered.

"Hello?" The young girl's voice answered.

"Hi, is uh…Julius there?"

Soma could hear voices in the background, and something that sounded like someone tripping over something.

"Hello?" The familiar deep tone of the one and only Julius Belmont came through the phone.

"J, three guesses who this is." Soma grinned childishly on his end of the phone.

"Soma, my boy, how have you been?"

"Fine, I guess…hey, Mina said you called?" Soma asked rather than stated.

"Yes, actually I had been wondering if you had talked to Yoko lately."

"No, not since the incident with Celia two years ago…why, is everything okay?"

"Not sure really, she wanted to talk to you so I figured I'd have you call her. Something about your powers... She may just be curious as to how your doing… you know how nosey she can be."

"Unfortunately…yes, I do." Memories of Yoko probing into his personal life two years ago came flooding back. "I'll get a hold of her later. Thanks Julius. Oh and tell the grandkid I said "hi"."

With that, Soma hung up the phone, and leaned back against the park bench. He stared up at the blue sky and watched as some birds flew over head. _I wonder,_ he thought _What Yoko could want…If she's trying to get a hold of me…it probably isn't good. Best if I don't tell Mina just yet. _

Soma reluctantly got up from his post on the bench and headed for the road, all the while dialing Yoko's cell number. He wasn't in the least surprised when her overly happy answering machine picked up. Hanging up the phone without leaving a message Soma figured he'd try to catch her at work. Soma hadn't talked to Yoko in nearly two years even though she worked in town…it was weird how things worked out.

**Chapter 2:**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Must I repeat myself? I do not own anything except a soundtrack.

A/N: Well, here's chapter 2. It seems shorter to me…maybe it is, I'll have to check later. Anyway, I'm starting to get into the plot a little…you can see it if you squint your eyes really hard. Anyway, I tried to get Some to seem a bit more in character…easier said than done, and everyone's favorite blonde-haired nosey witch makes an appearance. I'll try to keep updating fast I already have quite a bit of this written. Anyway, let me know what you think, and I promise to try to stay as in character as possible, and I'll try to fix as many mistakes as I can find. Thanks for reading.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 2:**

It took Soma around a half an hour to get to the small alleyway church that Yoko worked in. The church itself was an unusual one. It was run by a demon, and served as a safe haven for creatures of darkness to go when the need be. Apparently, Arikado and Yoko had first met through the church. Though Yoko was occasionally out helping people who came in, in recent years she had resided to the back rooms of the church in order to continue her study of darkness in human hearts. She was now basing a lot of her notes and observations off of Soma and how he battled his inner demons.

Walking in, he wasn't the least bit surprised when every being in there turned to look at him, most of them immediately sensing Dracula's now dormant powers. He walked past them, ignoring the curious mummers, and headed for a bland wooden door in the back. Knocking softly twice, Soma turned the door knob and slowly crept inside the office. Looking around he found Yoko asleep at her desk, slowly he nudged her awake.

"Mmm….five more minutes…" Yoko mumbled groggily.

"Only if you want me to leave." Was Soma's half-hearted response.

Yoko immediately awoke at the sound of Soma's voice, and nearly crushed him in a hug. "How have you been, Soma! It's been what…two years now since we last saw each other. Wow! You look great!"

"Heh, thanks Yoko. I'm doing good. Anyway, Julius told me you had been trying to get a hold of me?"

"Oh yeah, about that… I was wondering if you had maybe sensed anything weird lately?"

"Like what?"

"Strange feelings, odd weather… As of the past few months, I've been noticing a couple different things, and Arikado has been noticing them as well."

Soma took a seat on the floor and leaned against the wall. "No, but I haven't really been paying much attention…Do you…think something's up?"

The young blonde looked puzzled for a moment before responding. "Can't say for sure…but; there have been some awfully shady people hanging around the church lately…and some strange demonic fogs that pop up out of nowhere…It's kinda spooky when you think about." Yoko said ending her comment with a smile.

_Only she could smile at something like this. _"I'll keep an eye out for anything, so how goes the research?"

"Same old, same old. I asked Arikado to lend me a hand and he told me he didn't have the time…go figure…I mean the guy has eternity to spend doing stuff, but helping me for a few years is far too much to ask…so I figure I'll randomly purify the rain on him one day."

"Sounds like neither one of you has changed. Well, I should be getting back home soon. I'll stop by again if I notice anything."

Soma got up and turned for the door, but; before he could leave Yoko stopped him.

"Be careful, okay? You know you're like a little brother to me, and Mina's like a sister…so just be careful, for both of you."

Soma nodded an "okay" back to Yoko before stepping back out into the prayer room and leaving the church for the streets.

As Soma got on the nearby bus and headed for the end of town that he lived in, he couldn't help but remember what Yoko had said. _If there really is something going on, will I have to fight for my humanity again? Could I even win this time around? And who could possible __be__ involved? Gram's dead, Celia's dead so is __Demitri__, and I'm not entirely sure what happened to Dario, but; Arikado told me that he most likely lost his powers…but then who?_

Soma sighed deeply, as the bus came to a stop, and several people got on. The bus started moving again, and Soma got the feeling that someone, or something was staring at him. He looked around the bus slowly but couldn't see anyone that looked as if they might know him. Soma bit his lip, hard. Something wasn't adding up. He was definitely being watched, he could feel the person's eyes boring into his soul. Once again Soma's eyes darted around the crowded bus, looking. Everyone seemed happy or preoccupied on their computers and phones, chatting away as if nothing was wrong. None of them even knew of the past disasters, or any that could come. The 1999 incident had been covered by the government so now even that was dismissed as a freak accident. Soma began listening to the people around him, hoping to pick up on an area of silence from which the stalker could be found. _There! _He thought as he picked up on a disturbance in the chatter. Soma turned his head ever so slightly as to catch a glance in the direction of the person by use of the metal bars in the bus. The reflection of the person wasn't there. It was just an empty hole…_A vampire. But how could he or she come out in daylight? _Soma looked out of the window of the bus and saw that the entire sky was clouded over by rain clouds. _Oh, that explains it…just my luck._ Soma decided it was best if he didn't let the vampire know that he was on to them, he decided not to look. Soma's stop rolled up next, and he hurriedly exited the bus, and disappeared from view far before his vampire friend could get off.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything...because if I did there would Alucard plushies on every shelf.

A/N: Well, here's chapter 3. I would like thank Kitala for the wonderful review. It made me all happy. Anyway, things are going to start picking up really quick in this chapter and the next. I would still like to apologize for any OOCness...for some reason I find Soma and Mina to be hard characters to do, also; sorry for any grammar mistakes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 3:**

It was several hours later when Mina got home. She shivered a bit and hung her wet coat from the door. It had started raining shortly after Soma had gotten back, and the rain had yet to relinquish its siege on the Earth.

"Soma? You home?"

Soma slowly walked out of his bedroom and down the hallway. "Hey, I take it, it's still raining?"

"No, Soma, I decided to take a bath with the apartment's hose. God, I've never seen a rainstorm come on so fast before, or last this long…it doesn't seem normal."

Mina walked back into her bedroom, and sat her bag down on the bed. She walked over to her mirror and started taking out her earrings and then started to take of her cross necklace. She had started to wear it everywhere she went after the first incident.

"Don't." Soma cut her off. "…Leave it on."

"Why, is something wrong?" Mina looked at him a bit puzzled.

"Mina…I think something very bad is going to happen."

Mina glanced down at her feet, and put her hands down on the vanity and started fiddling with one of her earrings. "I knew it." Was all she said before she turned and walked out onto the rain soaked balcony.

Soma decided that she needed some time think…though he wasn't comfortable with her standing alone on the balcony, he doubted anything would try to kidnap her so early on in the plan…if the creatures of darkness even had a plan this time around. He sighed and walked across the hall to his room. Soma fell on top of his bed rather lifelessly and once again stared at the ceiling. In the distance he could here Mina come back inside, and move some things around in her room. Sighing deeply Soma got up and put on his shoes, he quietly made his way towards the door out of the apartment.

"Where are you going?" he heard her ask from her room, a small bit of her worry showing through.

"Out."

"Are you sure that's safe, Soma?"

"Mina, is anywhere really safe?" And with that Soma walked out of the apartment, making sure it was locked before he left.

Soma walked down the darkened streets. There wasn't anybody outside at this hour, mainly because of the dampness and the ever rising humidity. The rain had just recently stopped leaving everything soaked to the touch. Soma crossed a nearby street and walked down the adjoining alleyway. It was a shortcut he used to take when he wanted to get into town quickly. About halfway down the alleyway, Soma's vision began to blur, almost in a tunnel vision sort of way. He stumbled for a few steps, and braced himself off of the nearby wall. Soma shook his head vigorously to clear the clouded images. His vision cleared just enough for him to notice the eerie fog hovering about. _Could this be what Yoko was talking about?_ A movement caught Soma's eye. Though it had just been a split second shadow moving, Soma had seen it. There had been a blur of blue with it.

"I know you're there…show yourself!" Soma commanded, while leaning his back against the wall for balance. "Come on! There's no use hiding."

Another movement caught the corner of his right eye. Soma immediately jerked his head to the side to look, and found himself face to face with a pair of pale grey eyes. Soma stumbled back in shock, nearly tripping over the dumpster next to him. Without any reason, the mysterious figure grabbed Soma's arm and pulled him up to his feet, nearly slamming him into the brick wall of a nearby building.

"Who are you?" It was a simple question, one that Soma didn't expect to get an answer to.

"My name…" The man spoke with a heavy, ancient, European accent. "…Is Joachim Armster, and I'm here to help you."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Well what did you all think? I'm still not sure about Joachim's eye color.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Nothing has changed.

A/N: Thanks so much to Kitala, Christian T. Belmont, and Psychotic Vampiric for the reviews. They mean so much to me, and a very special thank you to Christian T. Belmont for giving me Joachim's eye color. Well, here's chapter 4. This chapter is pretty slow because I'm revealing the forces at work and it's mainly a conversation…fun stuff. Things will pick up again in the next chapter I promise. As always I apologize for anything being wrong. (I worry so much about that.) Now on with the story.

**Chapter 4:**

"Wh-what?" Soma stammered, rather shocked by this statement.

"I will not repeat myself."

"Why then?"

"My reasons are my own. Come, we must flee this alley."

Without giving Soma a single moment to react, Joachim pulled Soma down the alleyway by his arm, and out onto the nearby street. Joachim stopped and released Soma from his grasp. Soma took this opportunity to rub his now sore shoulder, and to take a good look at Joachim. _A blind man would know he's a vampire… _Soma thought as he peered upon the fangs that Joachim so freely bore. The mysterious vampire turned his head so he could look at Soma, a few whitish-silver strands of hair falling across his face.

"So **you** are Dracula's reincarnation." Soma nodded in response. "I see. I pray you…do not turn into him."

On that note, Joachim disappeared into a darkened purple cloud, leaving Soma to stand there, in the middle of the street, confused. "Who…was that?"

"An introduction I believe he gave you." A familiar male voice rang out from behind Soma.

"Arikado, why is it you always show up at the most **convenient** times?"

For a moment there was no response. "What matters is that I **am** here."

Soma turned around and looked at Arikado with a questioning look. "Is there something you want to tell me, or are you just here to annoy me?"

"Rather harsh, wouldn't you say? Anyway, it is not safe to speak of such things here." Arikado turned and walked down the road from the direction he came. His black suit and dyed black hair making him blend into the night, and if it wasn't for Soma's keen since of sight he had obtained since his two transformations he most likely wouldn't have even taken notice of the half-vampire.

Soma followed him, knowing full well that he wouldn't get anything out of Arikado unless he pursued. Soma didn't know how long he followed Arikado before he came to a rather large apartment complex. Soma was slightly surprised when Arikado got on the elevator and rode it up to one of the main suites at the top.

"So this is where you live?" Soma half joked as he looked about the suite.

"No, Soma…you know full well I live in England. I merely rented this place out for my stay…come sit. We have much to discuss." Arikado took a seat on a nearby couch.

"Arikado," Soma started as he sat down on a chair across from his host. "Am I going to have to fight again?"

"I am afraid I can not yet answer that question…there are many forces at work, and Yoko, Julius, and I are trying our hardest to prevent any harm from befalling Mina and yourself."

Soma sighed in aggravation…that wasn't the answer he had wanted. "Okay, fine. What about that guy from earlier…Joachim was it?"

"Ah yes. Joachim Armster. He is an ancient vampire. Far older than myself, he has his own personal reasons for helping…but his help is more than welcome. Joachim is an excellent addition to our little vampire-hunting team."

It was the first time that Soma had ever heard Arikado use any sort of humor or sarcasm in his speech. "So he's one of the good guys?"

"For the time being, yes."

Soma and Arikado talked for several hours about recent events, and from what Soma had gathered: A being from Arikado's past had stepped forth to resurrect Dracula, and from the sounds of things…this wasn't the first time this being had done so. Since the being was one of immense dark power, all creatures of darkness within the area had awakened their powers, even those who had gone into slumber long ago had reawakened. Japan itself was on the verge of an entire country take over, and none of the humans even noticed. The reason for Soma's dizziness had something to do with the demonic fog, but; Soma didn't quiet understand that part of the conversation.

"So the guy behind everything, his name is Shaft right?" Soma asked, trying to clear up the many questions swimming around in his head.

"Yes, and he is not someone to be taken lightly."

"I see. Um, before I forget…someone was watching me on the bus today. I think it may have Joachim…the aura feels the same."

"I would not be surprised. Joachim fears my fathers return more than any other…he may watch you closely until this is all over."

Soma sighed in aggravation once again; the last thing he wanted was a bodyguard. He knew that it was probably best if someone did have an eye on him, just in case something happened…but he would've preferred it was someone that he knew.

"If you are still wary of Joachim…I would ask him for some straight answers when next you meet."

Arikado's voice had ripped Soma away from his thoughts. Soma nodded slowly in response and stood up. "Well, I had better be getting back…I don't want to stay out any later than need be."

Soma excused himself from the conversation and room. As he exited the building he could feel Joachim's presence nearby. He heaved a sigh…

"If you're going to watch me, you might as well walk with me. I have a few questions that I need answers to."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: And that is Chapter 4. Whoo hoo. As always let me know what you think.Elixir9


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Come on people, you know the drill by now.

A/N: I'm really sorry that it's taking me longer to update, I just started back to school Monday and I already have to full blown projects to do by Friday. So I'm sorry that updating will slow down. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed. It makes me feel all happy and it encourages me to speed up with my updating. I'm also sorry that my chapters are so short, they seem longer when I'm typing them. I'm happy to see that people like the idea of Joachim being in the story. I thought that he would be a neat little add in. Everyone's reviews have been great! The plot really starts to take control at the end of this chapter. Whoo hoo! Anyway, once again sorry for any OOCness and for grammatical errors. (Doesn't think she can type the s double r word anymore...XD.) Anyway, on with the show.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 5:**

Joachim had joined Soma on his trip back home…the two really hadn't talked much, and Soma, if anything, was one step forward and two steps back when it came to getting to understand Joachim's intentions. They approached the apartment building Soma lived in, and Soma walked up to the main door, leaving Joachim to stand on the ground below him.

"Tonight, you're destiny is on the line."

Soma turned as he heard Joachim speak, only to find himself utterly alone. Shrugging it off, Soma turned the knob and walked upstairs. He found Mina asleep on the couch…the TV still on. He quietly turned it off and went into his room. Soma kicked off his shoes and took off his jacket before falling into bed from exhaustion. It had been a long day. Soma looked at the clock and saw that it was around one am. It didn't take long before sleep claimed him.

For the past three years now, Soma's sleep had been riddled with the same nightmares…over and over again they played. Regardless of how many times he dreamed it, it still shook him all the same, but; this night…the dreams did not come. It was silence in Soma's mind, an uneasy, sickening, choking silence. There were no sounds, no movement. Suddenly a whispered voice broke into his mind.

"Soma, Soma, wake up. Please, wake up."

Soma groaned a bit and slowly opened his eyes. They were blurry with water.

"Uhh…why am I crying?" Soma asked as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

Mina, who had awakened him, shook her head. "There is something going on outside."

Soma rolled over and saw the clock once again. Three am. Several sounds from outside alerted him to what Mina had said. Slowly, he got out of bed and approached the window, with Mina standing just behind him in fear. Outside, several fires had broken out and people could be heard screaming. In the distance the outline of a structure, foreign to Japan, and oh-so-familiar to Soma, stood; majestic, dark, and foreboding. Dracula's Castle.

"So it begins…" Soma muttered sullenly.

Soma turned around and saw Mina standing a few feet behind him. He looked at her apologetically before walking towards his closet. Soma slowly opened the door and pulled out his sword, he had always kept it…just in case.

"Mina, I want you to stay here…Don't leave the apartment unless you absolutely need too. Lock the doors and windows after I leave."

Soma didn't look at Mina as he spoke; instead he shut the closet door and headed for the kitchen. He grabbed his trench coat off of the wall and put it on. Soma then dug around in the coat closet that they seldom used for a pair of more decent shoes…if he was going to run around Dracula's castle he might as well be comfortable. Soma stood up and reached for the door knob.

"Be careful, okay? ...And Soma? Come back safe." Soma didn't have to look at Mina to know that she was smiling. It always amazed him how optimistic she could be in times like this, but he was grateful that she was. It was encouraging to say the least.

Soma left the apartment shortly afterwards. He walked through the streets, and looked at the mayhem being wreaked upon them. Demons of all sorts were running around attacking anyone who got in there way. Several succubus stood on the street corners luring in any human male that would look there way. Several of them called out to Soma as he walked. He ignored them and continued walking towards the ever approaching castle.

"Soma." Someone called out to him.

Soma turned around to face the alcove the call had come from. Still being cautious incase it was foe. He was shocked to see Yoko standing there.

"What are you doing here, Yoko? It's not safe."

Yoko shook her head and stepped out of the shadows, she was wearing clothes he had never seen her in before, by the look of her he guessed she had just gotten out of the shower when everything happened. Yoko's hair was messy and wet and her clothes looked like they were older and far more casual than what she usually wore.

"Did you honestly think that I would leave you to do this alone? Soma, I've fought with you twice before, and I'll fight with you again. Besides, I've been getting kind of bored lately." Yoko smiled slightly at the end of her statement.

Soma nodded his head in thanks and motioned for Yoko to follow him as he headed for the castle. He was happy for the help, Arikado had told him once that Yoko was much stronger than she looked, and Soma wasn't one to doubt it. He had watched her get stabbed by Gram and still live despite the lack of medical attention.

A loud explosion like sound was heard as flames erupted on the far end of town. Soma and Yoko looked at each other before taking off in a full run towards the castle.

------------------------------------------------------------

Authors ending note: No, I have no idea why Dracula's Castle is in Japan...I'm just going to say that it has something to do with Shaft. Okie dokie then. Review please. Elixir9


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not yet people...not yet

A/N: I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update, school really sucks. This chapter is a bit slow, but I promise it will get much much better. Within the next couple chapters there will be much violence so rating may go up. I told you all that I would not abandon this fic and I haven't yet. I plan to make Yoko a bit more of a main character because I thought that she was a cool character and didn't get a lot of "aire time". Once again sorry for any errors or any OOCness. I have many ideas for this story and not enough time to type them up. ;

**Chapter 6:**

Soma couldn't be sure how long they had ran, but one thing was for sure; Dracula's castle was a lot further away than it looked. He stopped for a minute and hunched over to catch his breath. Yoko did the same; she seemed to be a bit more worn out than him. He looked up in front of him, and saw the huge wrought iron gates that lead to the castle's entryway. The iron was rotted and twisting with age, giving it an even more eerie look than it had before, and the castle itself wasn't much better in appearance. The highest towers of the castle, in particular the throne room, reached for the sky like a skeleton's hand, a dark silhouette on an already dark sky. The sight of it made Soma's stomach turn into knots. He heard Yoko sighed and turned to look at her.

Yoko was walking towards the gates, and slowly pushed on them, at first they didn't move then they began to scream open, rust and dirt falling from their ancient hinges. Once the doors were open, Yoko stepped through onto the old cobblestone path, and proceeded to head up towards the castle's main doors. Soma instinctively followed her. He walked up the steps and stood next to Yoko; together they sighed and opened the wooden doors. Soma took one last look over his shoulder at the chaos that had been unleashed upon an unsuspecting Japan, he would've much rather chosen the chaotic world over the monstrosities that awaited him inside.

Stepping in, Soma found the castle corridor looking the same or almost the same as it always did, stone walls with various holes of various sizes lining both sides of the hall. The ceiling was only half there, and several stain-glass windows lined the walls. Soma took a few steps down the corridor and immediately picked up on the distant sound of monsters walking. He turned to find Yoko standing a few feet behind him, gazing upon the chandeliers on the ceiling.

"Soma," she began, "I think we should split up as soon as possible, that way we can cover more ground, if either one of us finds anything we can call each other."

Soma merely nodded, he didn't really like the idea of Yoko getting involved any more than she needed to be, but she was here; he could at least keep her out of some danger by staying away.

The two started to walk down the corridor, side by side. Along the way Soma's mind started to drift, he began to remember the two other times he had walked down a corridor similar to this, neither time was pleasant. He looked up, startled from his thoughts when he heard a click in front of him. Yoko was opening the door at the end of the hallway.

They walked through in utter silence. On the other end of the room, there was a fork in the path, one going right and one going straight.

"I'll take the right." Yoko said, breaking the silence.

"Okay, be careful." Soma said quietly. The two then departed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soma sighed deeply, and checked the time on his watch. It had been exactly two hours since he and Yoko had departed. He was now in the Marble Gallery area of the castle, or so he assumed, since everything was made of marble. As he walked into another large room the sounds of blades clashing caught his ears, he turned quickly to look and found Joachim nearby finishing off a dead knight of some sort. Soma watched as one of the five swords that surrounded Joachim returned to him from his victim's body.

"'Tis just like it use to be." Joachim didn't look up. "Not much has changed."

Joachim then started to float over to Soma. "I see that you have finally come here, well, I pray that things do not turn out as wrong as I foresee."

"Thanks for the confidence boost there, Joachim."

There was no response from the vampire, no change of expression, no vocal words to be spoken. Instead, Joachim turned and floated towards a distant exit. Soma followed him, figuring it best to stick nearby.

On the far end of the castle Yoko found herself walking up and down stairways, she had absolutely no idea where she was at. Things were getting colder, and darker, signifying that she was getting deeper underground. From past experiences she knew that the only things down this deep were the reservoirs, the catacombs, and the coliseum.

"Please, oh please, don't let me get the catacombs!" she whined as she walked the last couple steps of a spiral staircase. Yoko walked through the next door, and to her horror…found that she was in the catacombs.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Authors Ending note: Thanks so much for the reviews everyone, they mean so much to me. Please review this chapter as well and let me know what you think. Please be as gentle with possible as I wrote this chapter in a hurry because homework is eating me alive. I heart you all. Elixir9


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is getting old.

A/N: Well, I think this chapter might be the longest one I've done, well it seemed that way to me at least, I had a lot of time to work on it today since I was exempt from school since my aunt died. I'm sorry for any misspelled names, and this chapter contains spoilers from Lament of Innocence. Thanks for the reviews everyone. They mean so much to me. . This chapter (I hope) is better than the last, I not too happy with the first half of it...but hey; I need to move the story along.

**Chapter 7**

_**Crunch** _Something snapped and broke underneath Yoko's boot, that really didn't bother her much, for only a few steps ahead, something she stepped on made a wonderful squishing sound. She grimaced slightly and continued on. In her mind she began running over the monsters that usually ruled the catacombs, just in case she ran into them. _Well, there's Legion…and Legion…and a bunch of little creatures I don't have any problem killing…I think I can take Legion if I can find a small corner to hid in and attack it from a distance…_

Yoko turned and opened a nearby set of large stone doors. Intricate images were carved upon them, images of people and winged creatures fighting. She ignored the images and walked into the new corridor, skeletons lined the walls from inside of cages, dirt and bones were spread about the room like children's toys. As she walked she came upon a large statue in the middle of the path. Two large black colored angel-like wings spread out from its back. The statue had no mouth to speak of, and its robes were ripped and torn as if fresh from battle. There was an ominous feel coming from the androgynous figure, and the little witch didn't like the feel of it one bit.

Cautiously, she placed a hand on the worn stone, and no sooner had she done so did a fierce wind blow from somewhere nearby. The statue began crying, crimson tears rolled down the white cheeks and dripped down to the robe, forming a river of blood colored water. Yoko instinctively stepped back, and watched in horror as the statue moved. The movements were executed in a jerky, hindered type style, as though the statue were awakening from a coma, then the wings began to flap. One by one, flakes of stone peeled of the statues body revealing a dark angel sealed within, all the while the tears continued to flow, forming a trail of liquid across the floor and around Yoko's boots. She didn't notice the liquid, because she was still far to captivated with the monster before her. The angel stood erect from its hunched over position, and cast a look of pure hatred upon the blonde. The angel lifted on hand to its missing mouth, and finding nothing there, began to flap its wings even more vigorously, generating a wind that could have easily knocked Yoko off of her feet. Quickly, Yoko grabbed one of the bars of a nearby cage, ignoring the rotting corpse of a skeleton within.

The angel seemed so angry, and yet; it was free. It didn't make sense… Could being entombed inside stone really be so much better than what lie ahead? Yoko preferred not to think about. This wasn't what she signed up for when the quirky blonde had decided to join Soma once again. Something grabbed Yoko's hand, and she turned to see the corpse in the room gripping her hand, and trying to pull her through the bars. She screamed, and jerked her hand away. To say that Yoko was thinking clearly would be a farce question, for she simply ran to the center of the room and clutched her hand in fear. Below her foot, the blood-like water had formed a circle with incantations inscribed within it.

A mere few feet ahead her, the angel rose from the ground, and started a full-out swoop straight towards witch. Yoko looked up just in time to see the angel descend at her from above; she didn't even have time to react, before the angel pushed to the ground and flew off down the corridor. To Yoko's surprise and horror, she didn't stop falling when she hit the ground, instead the symbol on the ground began to morph, and formed a hole in the floor, and Yoko fell right through it. The last thing she saw, was the floor above her replace, and then nothing but pure darkness.

* * *

Several floors above Yoko, Soma and Joachim had managed to make their way into the chapel.

"I don't get it…" Soma asked confused. "Why would there be a chapel here? I mean…it's not as Dracula really believes in God is it?"

As per usual, Joachim didn't answer. His silence was really starting to irritate Soma. This place was so depressing to him on its own, and Joachim's lack of vocabulary only seemed to make it worse. Soma bit his lip in anger, and found that sometime in the last ten minutes or so (since that was the last time he had bit his lip in anger), two of his teeth had grown sharper. Could Chaos's effect really be taking hold of him so quickly? Soma shook his head.

"Something the matter…?"

It was the first thing Joachim had said since they had met up earlier. "No, nothing…just tired." Soma responded…feigning a happiness that was anywhere but there.

The uncomfortable silence that usually hung in the air when Joachim was there, returned with a bitter vengeance, and if one listened carefully enough they probably could've heard crickets chirping from all the way outside the castle walls.

"Joachim, please, tell me why you are here. It makes it hard to trust you when I don't even no your motives." Soma looked at Joachim, his face looked the same as ever, but Joachim saw a sternness in Soma's eyes that had not previously been there. Joachim sighed.

"It started many many centuries ago. Before even your friend, Alucard was born. I was attacked by a man named Walter Bernhard. He was a vampire, and thus I became one as well. 'Twas only after I was sealed away deep below the castle that I learned that Walter was working for yet another vampire by the name of Mathias Cronqvist. I sought to kill them both, but alas; I was beaten both in battle with and to my destination by one, Leon Belmont."

"Leon?" Soma asked, only briefly remembering the name from a conversation with Julius.

"Yes, he was the first Belmont to ever kill a vampire, and it 'twas he who swore upon his family's name that the Belmonts would forever hunt the darkness. I still want my revenge against that damn man." Joachim seemed unusually composed as he spoke, yet; his eyes showed a fire.

"But, didn't Leon kill them both? And what does that have to do with Dracula?"

"Oh, my dear boy, Mathias is Dracula." Soma froze in shock and confusion. He hadn't known that, he had never even heard the name.

Joachim continued to float forward, ignoring Soma's unneeded halt, but stopped himself, as his vampire senses began to pick up on a presence. "Hm?"

Soma continued to try to make sense of things in his head…but nothing really seemed to workout. His thoughts were interrupted by a crashing sound, and what almost sounded like a scream from Joachim. Soma looked up quickly.

The ground in front of him was completely destroyed, as if a missile had hit it; Joachim was several feet away, picking himself up of the ground. Soma looked around frantically trying to find the source of the explosion, and a sound nearby was more than welcome to alert him to the cause. Soma looked up and found a figure floating above him. Black wings flapping behind it, and torn robes covered its body. The figure, as Soma soon realized, had no mouth.

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun...well what did you think? Once again sorry for any OOCness and errors (and misspelled names). 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Same as always

A/N: Once again thanks for all the reviews; they mean a lot to me. I'm sorry about the long wait for the update work has been killer. As for the reviews, I greatly appreciate the reviews left by Alhazad2003 and Noone. However, before I change anything, I would like to know where you found your information…it's nothing personal but I would like to verify it for myself. One thing I've learned from Journalism is to never use information given by others unless you can check the source yourself. As I said, it's nothing towards the two of you. I have no problem admitting and changing those particular parts if indeed, I am wrong. Anyway, I'm not sure how much longer this story is going to be…I initially thought it was only going to be around 6 chapters, but I see now that I was very, very wrong in that assumption.

**Chapter 8**

The demon flapped its black wings once more, causing a powerful eddy to swirl downward towards Soma. He quickly dodged the attack, and turned around to peer at the attacker. The angel landed on the ground a few feet in front of him. A look of evil rested within the angel's black eyes, a hateful glare, that let Soma know immediately, that Dracula was one who caused its pain.

The monster walked towards Soma with a speed that made it seem more like the monster was teleporting about. _This isn't good _Soma thought quickly as he began backing up; his hand subconsciously reaching for the hilt of his sword. In the distance, he could see Joachim standing up and moving slowly towards them.

A deafening screech filled the air, followed by another less high pitched one. Both Soma and Joachim looked towards the ceiling where the sounds had come from. Two more angels hovered above; one with no eyes and one with no ears. The earless one, swooped downwards, and landed on the ground next to the first, another screech escaping its lips. The two creatures began towards Soma once more. Joachim rushed to his aide, or so he tried. The blind angel swooped down and blocked his path. Despite having no eyes, the creature seemed to know exactly where Joachim was. The battle was imminent.

Several feet away from Joachim, Soma had grabbed his sword and begun a battle with two of the creatures, while Joachim took on the third.

"Soma!" Joachim yelled, earning him the attention of everything in the room. "Leave, I'll hold them off."

"W-wait! You can't!" Soma protested as he swung his sword once more.

"You are the one who must survive."

Hesitantly, Soma nodded his head; Arikado had said that Joachim was an elder, even in the vampire world. He must have had some reason for wanting Soma to leave. The young boy wasted no time after that thought, and ran for the nearest chapel door that would lead him further into the castle.

* * *

Several floors below them, in the deepest level of what looked to be hell, Yoko found consciousness tugging at her mind. Her eyes slowly opened and she was immediately blinded by red and orange light. She groaned and sat up slowly, her body aching all over. How had she survived the fall? She looked around and found the skeletons of several unknown victims lying around; the screams of beings human and non were the only sounds. Hesitantly, Yoko stood up and walked forward a few feet, the skulls on the ground turning and watching her as she moved.

"How unnerving." She mumbled to herself.

"What is?" The voice was deep and sent a shiver down her spine…slowly she turned towards the sound.

The skulls and skeletons in the room rejoined themselves and fled the scene as a large cloaked figure hovered towards Yoko, a large scythe in one hand, and his face hidden in shadows.

"…Death…" Yoko said softly. She looked at him, her gaze piercing through his ancient robes.

"I'll ask you to leave now, child. This matter has no concern with you. Leave or perish."

"Your threats mean nothing to me, I'm not afraid of you." Yoko held her ground, her words shining true in her eyes.

"IS THAT SO?" Death's voice boomed in her ears. "So, you're not afraid of Death? Why don't I test that theory?"

Death swooped down at Yoko, his blade coming towards her head, Yoko fell to her knees, avoiding the attack, but soon felt hundreds of painful pricks across her body as Death summoned thousands of mini-scythes to attack her. Yoko began rolling and jumping around to avoid them, while she was doing so, she summoned a lightning spell to strike Death. The bolt seemed to momentarily stun him, but as Yoko soon learned, it truly did nothing to the ancient being. Death turned at looked at her, his black hood now lying over his back, since the bolt had knocked it off. Empty eye sockets surrounded by pure white bone stared at Yoko.

"I'm not afraid of you." She repeated again as another miniature blade slashed her face. Death could sense something odd about the girl. A strange fire burned within her, one he had only seen twice before. Once within Sonia Belmont, and again inside Maria Renard; but, they were both dead. Could she be? Was it possible? Death realized that this was not going to be an easy fight, and so doing what he had only done for a seldom few in the past, he transformed into his true form. Large blood red bat wings protruded from his back, the tips of the leathery like wings singed and burned from the fires of Hell. Death himself seemed to grow to be over nine feet tall, and he towered over the small blonde.

"Leave." He commanded again.

"No."

Death slashed his arm in front of him, causing a shockwave to be sent towards the witch, one of which she couldn't avoid. Yoko was on the floor, unconscious as Death began to move forward.

"Then I will find the Master on my own, and I will kill his human form." Death began to move towards Yoko, he was going to just leave her there for the other monsters to deal with. He had more important business to deal with than her. As he moved passed her, he didn't spare as much as a fleeting glance and the young girl. He was about to leave the room when something stopped him.

"You shall not pass this room." Death turned around and saw Yoko struggling to her feet, blood dripping from her face, arms, chest, and legs, forming a pool of blood on the ground. The look in her eyes said everything. 'One of them was not leaving alive.'

* * *

A/N: Well? What did you think? As always I apologize for any grammar mistakes or any OoCness. I hope that this chapter makes up for the long break inbetween updates. (Probably not). Elixir9 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: One day…

A/N: My sincerest apologies in the lack of updates. I thought I'd have more time after work ended, but then school started pounding on me with all its fury. I can't apologize enough for this. Many thanks to all my reviewers, and to anyone still interested in reading this fic…just know that I have not abandoned it. Sorry for any Oocness and grammar mistakes...I was distracted by listening to the Symphony soundtrack during this...thought it might get me in a Castlevania mood, don't think it worked though.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Running, running, and more running…and after all that only one thing was for sure: that Soma Cruz wasn't entirely sure where he was at. It seemed each time he returned to anything similar to Dracula's Castle that the building itself took on its own new form, each one more confusing and twisted than the last. Stopping suddenly, Soma put his hands on his knees to keep from falling down, and slowly tried to regain his breath.

After a few moments of rest, Soma stood up and continued walking. The corridor before him seemed to stretch on endlessly; row upon row of marbleized columns with painting depicting fierce battles of the past lying at ease in between them. As Soma walked among them, the simple paranoia of being watched crept down his spine, and eventually caused him to stop and look about the area. His pale eyes surveying each painting and the unknown faces that adorned their weathered surfaces, a large painting just ahead of him and to the left caught his eye, slowly Soma approached it.

The tall painting was of a man. He looked young and pale, and quite a bit like Dracula. As Soma gazed upon it, he began to recognize the familiar scowl, and making a facial gesture as if to mock the man in the picture, he turned and left the portrait of the silverish blonde haired son of Dracula. As he walked away, Soma couldn't help but wonder why the portrait reminded him of Arikado…a questioning thought that made him think of how little he truly knew of the man. The racing questions were cut short by a sound from around the corner.

* * *

Something in her arm cracked loudly as Yoko hit the nearby wall, but she wasn't going to give up, Death would have to kill her first. Slowly, Yoko opened her eyes once more and starred up at the lifeless holes where Death's eyes should have been. She watched, as Death raised his scythe in what would be the final blow…the one to end her life. Thinking back at everything, Yoko realized one thing. That no matter how much she complained about life, she wouldn't change a thing. Once more, Yoko closed her eyes… and awaited the final second.

It was a long second, longer than it should've been, and Yoko dared to open her eyes once more. Death was not in her immediate vision; painfully she rolled to her side to see what the nearby sounds of steel clattering were from. Not two yards from her in the large area was Death. It was dodging and stabbing at a black shadow-like object that seemed to move like the wind. Smiling to herself, Yoko watched as Death disappeared into a portal of darkness, leaving the blonde and the shadow to their ways.

"What took you?" Her voice was raspy with exhaustion.

"I will leave you next time." The shadow moved towards her. "You are more trouble than you are worth."

"Yeah, so I've been told." Yoko smiled as Arikado helped her to her feet.

Yoko, looked around the room, and upon seeing that Death was truly gone, she flashed Arikado a worried look. "He'll go after Soma."

"And you let him leave." Yoko said bitterly.

Arikado did not have a response to her, instead he simple drug her through a few rooms to one of the castle's warp points. Without the slightest indication of his intentions, he shoved the witch into it, turned and left the room.

* * *

The dance hall, an area Soma remembered well. It was the first place he had met J, and he hoped that the rooms were the same as then. Looking around, Soma found the source of the sound he had heard, an open window nearby. Annoyed he shut it, well, either way he would've found his way to the dance hall eventually. Soma huffed a sigh as he entered the main dance room; the ghastly figures of the aristocrats still dancing to some unheard music. By now, Soma had learned not to get too close to them, they may have been dead but their blades still hurt.

About half way through the room, the dancers began to close in on Soma. They twirled their way in and thrust in unison at the boy. Soma jumped to avoid them, and to his shock found that he had somehow regained the ability to turn into a bat. Since arriving, his abilities had been returning, a circumstance that unnerved him. Well, at the very least now he could get away from them. As he approached the door out, Soma transformed back and fell gracefully upon the doormat and went through the door.

Inside, a very tired looking Julius Belmont arose from the bench he decided to rest upon.

"I think the dance hall is becoming our area, J."

"I think you're right. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess…"

"Good, then let's go." With that Julius got up and proceeded through the rooms, killing the few monsters that stood in their path. Soma followed without question. He was glad for the company, but J seemed tired, so who knew how much help he'd be if they ran into anything bigger than mere castle servants. _Best to be on edge..._ Soma decided.

* * *

Somewhere near the castle entrance, Yoko more or less fell out of the portal and onto the ground. Lying on her back, Yoko looked around the upside down world. A figure in the near distance caught her eye, and she desperately began wishing to face Death once more, or at least for him to come and smite her then and there. For there, not far from her position stood a tall, bald, and waving Hammer. A silly grin plastered on his face, and to Yoko's horror he started to walk towards her...this just wasn't her day.

* * *

A/N: I'm assuming that Soma doesn't know Arikado's true identity throughout this, because I don't remember him actually finding out during the game. I referred to Death as 'it' because I don't think of Death as having a gender. I know this chapter jumped around a lot. Sorry. I hope I put the breaks in the right places, my computer kept screwing up and putting them in different places than I was telling it too. Anyway, reviews are love. Happy Holidays from Elixir9 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Soon my pretties! cough Sorry wicked witch moment.

A/N: Okay, so apparently I got reviews and was not notified of this….so I gotta ask…who's been stealing papers out of my inbox again? That aside, thanks much to Sylla and Kitala for their wonderful reviews. I'm happy to see that it looks like most people liked what I've done with Yoko, I'm glad because I had a blast writing those parts. So anyway, this chapter didn't have much inspiration, sorry if it isn't that great. My usual apologies go here as well, by now I suspect that you know the drill. Oh yes! Before I forget, I took the advice given to me in my reviews and tried to add some more detail, let me know how you like it. Usually detail is my forte, but I tend to put too much. I also think that I made Arikado seem too soft in this chapter...maybe it's just me?

* * *

**Chapter 10:**

Spiraling upwards, not a pleasant feeling really, Julius Belmont dared to cast a simple glance over the railing of the old marble staircase he and Soma had begun to climb what seemed like hours ago. Below him, the ground looked to be nothing more than a mere dot, surrounded by a spiraling wall of twisting steps. The thought of falling over made his stomach drop…perhaps he was getting too old for this. Soma approached not far behind and sensing J's dismay decided to take the lead. Huffing a sigh, Soma began to walk the steps once more, and with each one passed, the air seemed to get a little thinner, the living world further away. Glancing up, he could only see more steps and he had to wonder when and if the steps ever ended.

"How much more do you think we have to climb?" Soma asked still glancing upwards.

"Can't say…This place looked a hell of a lot smaller from the outside."

Soma could only nod in response. "I hope Mina is okay…"

"Eh, she'll be fine, a will of steel that one. Besides I sent my wife and son over to look after her." J responded, a since of pride slipping into his voice at the mention of his family.

"That's what worries me."

J stopped in his tracks; his ego totally destroyed by that last comment, the youth of today had some nerve.

* * *

The old church door seemed nearly welded in place and thus, forced a very annoyed Arikado to turn into a bat and fly through a small hole towards the top…something big had happened in the old chapel. A clash far too powerful for any mortal to withstand. He stopped in midair and transformed back, landing softly on the torn and battle beaten ground. The windows were broken, and what appeared to be blood was splattered upon the walls and floor like a child's fingerpainting on a work of ancienct art. The door behind him was bent and mangled beyond repair, it was a wonder they were still recognizable. The once brilliant chandeleir lay broken and shattered upon the ground, the force of such an impact would've surely made the ground itself scream out in sheer, unbrideled pain. Upon looking around the deprecated skeletons of the once beautiful room, a figure fell into vision.

"You look as if better days had befallen you long ago." Arikado approached the slumped figure. "I take it you have won your battle, since no enemies seem within sight."

"Heh, foolish. Do not let the lack of appearances deceive you Halfling. One still lives." Joachim stumbled to feet, and then after wobbling a few seconds, seemed to regain his footing. He outstretched a hand and summoned his demonic swords to place, and the first thing Arikado observed was how much blood stained the blades and how their luster had faded. The swords were no longer shining in their silver glory. The aura that once surrounded them so magnificently was near gone. The swords seemed dead, as if the room itself had been imbodied within their hardened and aged steel.

"What in my father's name did you fight?"

"Fallen angels…." Joachim lifted the blades, and with a swift motion (or as swift a movement as someone in his condition could do) thrust one blade over Arikado's shoulder. The half vampire didn't even flinch, not even as the earth-shattering screech pierced the chilled air, cooling it further.

Arikado turned and watched as the eyeless being before him fell to its knees in pain, Joachim's blade piercing the being's heart, and going straight through. Inch by inch the fallen messenger began to crumble, its limbs and body turning to dust, its spine seemed to melt as the being fell over backwards writhing in pain. Arikado walked over and stood above the beings pain-warped face.

"You poor creature, Heaven disbanded you, and Hell will not take you again. I sentence you, in place of your God, to death at my hand." With that Arikado pulled his sword from its sheath and plunged it through the angel's skull. In a simple act of honor, Arikado turned his face away from the being, and when his gaze returned, only dust met his vision…dust and a few black feathers.

"Why do you show respect to a being such as that?"

"Because, it was not by their hand that they became monsters, and every being both good and bad deserves some sort of remorse. Every being is something's child, and with each death a mother weeps…I have seen it far too much before."

"Tell me then, who would weep at my death? My mother, she disowned me the second she learnt what I had become...death claimed not long after. So tell me Halfling..who would weep?" Joachim countered.

Arikado turned and headed for the door, as he walked he glanced over his shoulder. "I would, and I know a certain young boy who would do the same; a young boy whom we've come here to protect."

Joachim shrugged his shoulders, shooing away the idea and then followed Arikado from the room. Maybe there was more to the Halfling and the boy than he initially thought.

* * *

Life sucked. Or so Yoko had thus decided…oh well, she had found a use for the big oaf after all.

"Watch it that hurts!" she barked as he accidentally pulled the bandage to tight.

"Sorry Yoko." Hammer responded half coherently. That stupid grin on his face had not faltered once in the near hour he had spent cleaning and bandaging the witch….and to tell the truth it was really starting to freak Yoko out. He reminded her of one of those clowns at the circus, the ones that had the fake grins painted on their face in some maniacal way. They always scared her, and the grin was just like theirs. Yoko shuttered.

"A-are you cold?! Here I'll find you a coat!"

"No! I'm fine." She couldn't take much more. Yoko had already decided that the second Arikado returned she was going to flambeau his pretty little butt. She'd teach him a good lesson or two about shoving her into magical portal doodads that sent her to a hell worse than Death. Oh she was going to have fun with this…well if she survived long enough.

"HERE IT IS!" Hammer screamed and ran back to Yoko in some joyous half-skipping half-running trot. He quickly handed her some military style jacket he had in his make-shift shop. "It's on the house!"

"Th-Thanks…" Yep, Arikado was definitely in for it.

* * *

A/N: This was a bit of a filler chapter, more or less just to let you guys know where each person was and what was going on with them. As I said, little inspiration in getting from Point A to Point B...I know where I want to take this (point B) I just don't know how to get there...with time I will find a way. As previously stated in other chapters. Reviewslove. Happy New Year from Elixir9


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Heh heh heh nervous chuckle hides

Well… coughahemcough Please don't kill me. I haven't died and I haven't given up on this quite yet. ACTS, school, and such have destroyed my life, and then I planned to update during a lot during Spring Break, but my sis had college reports to do, so between her and my mother…computer time was scarce. Anyway, I still have quite a bit of writer's block so I hope this chapter isn't terribly bad, I seriously need to get back in the habit of writing this fic. Sorry for any mistakes and/or OOCness. Much love.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 11**

It had been a good while now since Joachim and Arikado had left the chapel, and Joachim's injuries seemed to be healing awfully slowly. Arikado found himself stopping several times (to his slight annoyance) to wait on Joachim to catch up. Neither of them complained, but both were obviously annoyed: Joachim because he couldn't keep up despite his abilities and Arikado because he was being slowed down.

The two turned a nearby corner and proceeded up a new staircase and into a garden like area. Plants of all shapes, sizes, and colors surrounded them from every side, and as the two walked among the forest of vegetation a slight slithering sound caught their attentive ears. Arikado paused first at the sound, and turned slowly to look at Joachim. In the dim light of the moonlit branches, he could see the elder vampire's pale eyes surveying the ground around them. The sound drew slightly louder.

"Run." It wasn't a harsh command or a hurried one, but Arikado put just enough emphasis on the small word that Joachim needed no second warning.

The duo turned on their heels and fled to a nearby dried up fountain. They climbed on the cracked sides in order to get off the ground, making it slightly harder for whatever was tailing them to get to them. Arikado surveyed around a bit and seeing nothing, began to scope for a way out.

"Where is it?" Joachim asked, still surveying every inch of the ground within his view.

"Hiding. Be careful, it would not be wise of you to face anything in your current state."

Arikado waited for a moment for a reply. Instead of the semi-angry I-can-take-care-of-myself toned answer he received only silence. Silence, that was far too quiet even for this place. Turning, he found himself alone.

* * *

"FINALLY!" J gasped gratefully as he stepped on the last step. How long had they been climbing? He couldn't even begin to guess, and ignoring that pang of gratitude that would've allowed him to fall to his knees and kiss the ground, he turned to Soma. The boy simply halted next to him, and smiled a slightly relieved smile. The steps didn't bother him that much and they had given him a chance to work out some things in his head. During his near constant daydream, Soma had lost the lead to J not that it mattered much though, because they were going to the same place.

"Where to now?" Soma asked half heartily. In a way he wanted to know what was around each corridor, and still a part of him begged not to know. _Leave what lingers in the dark there, face it when and if it comes_ it seemed to say.

"Well, this is your castle, well not literally. But I'd say you have a better idea than me. So what do you think, what's next?"

"I…haven't got a clue." Soma smiled a bit. The good thing about having J around, the mood always seemed to lighten a bit…perhaps because he had done this so many times before? Soma supposed that was the reason; there was a sense of comfort in having the legendary slayer of Dracula traveling with you. The two continued forward, and around the newfound corridor.

Room upon room lined the walls on both sides. Old wooden doors with faded pictures hung on them. The architecture of the ceiling seemed to make both J and Soma wobble a bit, giving them the sense that they had fallen through a portal to some hellish wonderland. In which case, loosing their heads would be the least of their worries. As they walked, several doors creaked open slightly and then slammed as they passed. Monster, they knew, were behind it, but why weren't they attacking? Perhaps they were afraid? But of what? At the end of a nearby corridor, two large doors with bats carved in them rose from the floor like the gates to hell. Heaving a sigh in unison, the two pushed on the old doors. Rust, dirt, and dust flaked off and fell to the ground, as the doors screamed open.

* * *

In the five minutes since the coat incident, Yoko had gained enough military style clothing from Hammer to make G.I. Jane look pathetic. Not only had he given her a coat to keep warm, but also a pair of camo pants, military boots, and gloves. Yoko seriously began to think that maybe Hammer had a fever, and that was he thought it was so cold. She knew better than to ask.

"Well, I should probably be on my way, thank you for your help." Yoko said as politely as she could.

Hammer turned around from the pile of junk he was digging through, the manic smile on his face, finally dissolving into a crestfallen frown.

"You're leaving!? Why you just got here! I'm sure if you wait, Soma will come here, he usually does."

"That's quite alright thanks; I think I'd rather find him myself. Arikado too, I owe him a beating." A sadistic smile crept onto the blonde's face at the sheer thought of beating Arikado into a bloody pulp. "Well, toodles."

Yoko quickly turned and headed back into castle through a nearby doorway, she was half tempted to just sit there and wait, but she was afraid that Hammer would try and follow her, and so she moved forward. What was it about that guy that freaked her out so much? Yoko decided that Hammer was like the creepy neighbor, the one that always has his shades drawn, and you never see any lights on, yet when you run into the guy while getting your mail he is one of the nicest people you have ever met. Like she thought, creepy.

* * *

Ending note: Well, I hope this chapter wasn't too bad, and I guarantee that things are going to pick up real fast from now on, because I have everyone where I want them. :) I hope grammar and what not wasn't too bad, I didn't have much time to proof read this chapter since I'm going out of town and I'm a bit rushed (and I chose to do this instead of homework so I could have time to pack). My apologies. It shouldn't take me this long to update again seeing as how the end of the school year is coming soon. Whoot. Anyhoo Reviewslove, that is if anyone is still reading this story. ;. Hope everyone is well and having a good spring Elixir9


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Holy hell! It's been over a year. I really can't make any excuses except procrastination, writer's block, and doubting my own writing abilities. I was just going to quit written on here, because over the past year there were no reviews or alerts or anything...so I thought no one new was reading it...and then suddenly starting last month I got a bunch new alerts for it and a wonderful review (the only one in a year) the other day. So I figured I'd give it another shot. Heh, can't hurt right? Well, this chapter starts off kind of bad, seeing as how I've completely forgotten my style for writing this story, plus my writing habits have changed, but I think it gets better towards the end...and I do believe the next chapter should be rather epic compared to most of my other writings, so I'm actually kind of excited. D Also, if anyone is a Resident Evil fan, I have an idea for a story I'm thinking of doing for that...so if you're interested keep an eye out.

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Castlevania it belongs to Konami so Alias-Hawk, if you would like to burn Konami down, good luck with that, but if you did, then there would be no more Castlevania games to write about...and that would be a very sad day.

**Chapter 12**

It started off small, a simple rumble in the distance, like an Indian beating on an ancient drum, and steadily it began to grow in strength, as if an army of drummers were forming a line somewhere near by. Each precise, dignified beat echoed in Yoko's chest and reverberated through her body. It was raining again, and the dark drizzle was staining the already darkened sky and Earth the color of soaked tombstones. At least that was as close of a color as Yoko could think of, or perhaps it was just her morbid sense of humor at the situation playing through. She turned from the old window as another blast of thunder roared through the ancient hall. The sound of the rain pelting on window was her only companion. The sound made her shudder…it was a sound eerily similar to someone tapping on glass with their nails. She turned another corner and headed towards some deeper area of the castle. The deeper she went, the quieter it became, the more each of her breaths stood out more harshly against the increasing silence. She descended a staircase….and perhaps it was from the distant sounds of rain, or perhaps because she herself was just a little nervous, the air grew colder, and the silence grew thicker. With one final step, Yoko leveled out on the ground and proceeded through the door into the frigid, unrelenting air of the frozen aqueducts.

* * *

Somewhere, Arikado could hear the rain, could feel the slight echo of thunder, somewhere. But right now, he didn't know where that somewhere was. The garden plants had grown taller, thicker…blocking out any light that may have been shining in. Small devilish creatures dotted the air like fireflies, and lit ghastly fires about the area. He batted a few out of the way and stopped.

"Joachim!?" He yelled. Waited. Pondered. Silence. Then the sound of some nearby creature picking up on his voice and going on alert. How many times had he wasted breath now…he didn't know…it was trivial to know that. Arikado continued walking. As he approached a darkened area, he grabbed one of the small creatures and forced it to light a fire….to allow him to see what was there (even his keen sight was nearly useless in a darkness this thick), and in the darkness there were shapes, small, round, and long. The remains of some old wrought-iron gate savaged and destroyed by the plants and time, who knew how long it had been since the last time something had stepped through its barrier? Backing up a step, Arikado willed himself into mist and floated through the bars. He hated that, having to change for something as minuscule as bars, but he had a feeling, a strange foreboding hunch that he was going to need his energy for what lie ahead, and ramming the bars or wasting time cutting them would lower his physical condition. He continued walking and as the vegetation began to thin, his sight increased, and finally being able to put good use to his abilities Arikado listened to the echoes of his footsteps off the walls and plants. Using this, he found the door that would lead him out of the forgotten garden, and he hoped…to Joachim.

* * *

Darkness, lots and lots of darkness greeted Soma and J. Blinking several times, and rubbing his eyes, J tried to adapt. Soma's eyes dilated and he was near instantly able to see thanks to the light coming behind them.

"J, I don't know where we are. I don't…recognize this place."

"Really? I do, we're in my closet Soma, it looks like this, dark…and dark….and dark."

"I'm being serious J. This room isn't familiar."

"Well then, what do your vampire eyes see beyond the black?" J was squinting, and his eyes were finally coming into focus.

"It's a big room, some sort of dining hall I think. It looks like there are windows, but the curtains are drawn…can you hear the rain, J? It's close." J stopped for a minute, then agreed, somewhere nearby the rain was assaulting glass, and J's eye finally made out a shape that appeared to be a table towards the center of the room, but with his poor vision it was fuzzy, and the shadows seems to keep moving.

For Soma, everything was still…everything but one small shadow in the corner. At first, he felt that he had imagined it. That it was in his head as the moving shadows were in J's. But he couldn't dismiss it. It was too strange, and the movements, they were too precise, too quick. The shadow would dart from one corner of the room towards the center and stop just out of Soma's vision, and he would have to squint, and just as his eye would refocus, the shadow would dart again. It would fade in and out of Soma's vision as quickly as the light disappears when you blow out a candle, or turn off a flashlight. Soma cast a fleeting glance at J, who appeared oblivious to it. Soma wasn't surprised, J didn't have any super human senses…technically in their "vampire hunting team" (as Arikado had referred to them), next to Hammer, J was as normal as they come. He turned his eye back to the darkness, and tried to relocate the shadow. When he was unable to do so, Soma tuned out the sound of the rain, and closed his eyes. He strained, hard, trying to find an aura…or hear a sound. With the rain dimmed out, there was only silence. He could hear J's breathing and heartbeat, but he dismissed those, and they blending in with the rain. Then a soft sound, not of footsteps, not of laughter or breathing…but of wind blowing by softly, a "whooshing" if you will, brushed past Soma's ears, then brushed past again closer… so close Soma could feel it on his face. He opened his eyes and turned his head. _There! _He thought. His eyes locked with the shadow's. Though it was dark…a blacker spot on a black background, Soma knew eye contact had been established. They held each other's gaze. J, who until now had been unaware, had turned to ask Soma what he though they should do, when he noticed the boy's intent gaze into the darkness.

"Soma? Soma, my boy, what's wrong, what do you see? Is there some-"

"Shhh…." J hushed on command, and turned his gaze into the blackness that Soma was staring at. He couldn't see jack-shit, but a shiver made its way down his old, wise spine, and he knew something was there. Something devious, carnal…something evil…something that made the little hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. It was that something that causes the simple paranoia of being watched when you're home alone, the simple paranoia that causes you too look over your shoulder on a crowded street. Something inhuman.

* * *

Arikado has finally reached an area with light. There were still plants hanging off of the walls and ceilings, growing through and flourishing from cracks, but as he went deeper through the old hall, statues of plants began to appear, and not just plants, stone replicas of those devilish fire starters from before, figurines of smaller creatures, and larger creatures. As he continued, a strange statue crept along the floor, long, round with spikes on the top, and steadily growing larger in circumference as it crept and twisted in zigzags across the floor. It looked to be the tall of some lizard like creature…but far too big in proportions to belong to something so small. The Prince of Tragedy rounded a corner into a large circular room with a tall ceiling, and found himself face to face with the enormous statue of a dragon. The detail adorning it was so in-depth, so perfect; it almost seemed real, as if it could come to life any instant, burn a whole through the ceiling and fly outwards into the night. The statues mouth was open, and Arikado ran a pale, ancient hand down a fang and felt the cold, lifeless point at the end, then ran it back up to the dragon's head. Delicately, Arikado laid his forehead against the creatures.

"Oh, what sadness do I feel here, what a terrible existence. 'Tis not your true form." Arikado backed away slowly. Indeed, the dragon was like a bug stuck between two rocks, trapped there, incased there…forever…a mere fossil of its former self. Once centuries ago perhaps, when it was first turned to stone, it could have been saved, could have regained life. But after years and years of waiting, the blood finally ran cold, and dried up. And one by one like automated machines in an abandoned factory the organs simple ceased to work, and so the dragon was no longer a living statue but an empty one whose beauty could rival that of the great Statue of David, and would forever remain as it was. Arikado turned away, his hand trailing behind, and falling gently from the dragon's face. Sadly, he looked upon the hundreds of figures that had befallen the same fate. Warriors, creature, plants. All of them forever on display as if they were mere artifacts in some big museum. His eyes fell upon one that was near the center of the room. Poised in a fighting position, the statue stood rigid. The ground below still soaked with fresh blood that was just beginning to dry a dark purple color. The expression on the face of statue said it all, the man had intended to go down fighting, and so he did. Arikado cast is eyes down, he couldn't look anymore. He understood everything now…the slithering, Joachim's disappearance, the statues, the forgotten door in the garden….all the answers made sense in the pained expression of Joachim Armster.

* * *

Yoko shivered. She had forgotten how cold the aqueducts could be….and surprisingly was thankful for Hammer's "gifts". Cautiously, Yoko proceeded over an ice bridge. She took slow, steady, calculated steps, but still found herself with her arms straight out for balance. Each time her heel landed on the ice it would slide, Yoko would wobble, and curse under her breath (she was really starting to regret discarding the boots Hammer had given her, even if they were several sized too big). Finally, after she was about one third across, and nearly spilled over into the arctic water, she cautiously bent down and unfastened her heels, and slipped them off…nearly falling over again in the process. Her feet screamed in protest to the new found cold of the ice, but she couldn't risk falling in and freezing to death, if she had more balance without heels, she wouldn't wear them. Carefully she started walking again, the straps of her red heels intertwined with the fingers of her left hand as she left them to dangle from her outstretched arms. As she continued, she let out a halted frozen breath, and watched the puff of visible air rise above her and diffuse into the snowy atmosphere. She lowered her right arm, and slowed her steps further, as she crossed a section of the ice bridge in front of a waterfall. Carefully she stopped, and turned her head to look at her reflection. Her glance only lasted a second, but Yoko couldn't deny how pathetic she looked; bandages and dirt covering her face, her hair messy and clumped together with dried blood, completely covered in camouflage clothing, with a little name tag on the side that said "Hammer", and her heels dangling near by. Yoko scoffed and made a face at herself, then turned and started walking again; her disorganized reflection lingering a second after she turned away, and then formed an almost maniacal grin on its watery face. As Yoko stepped away from the water, she couldn't help but notice the sound of water splashing as if someone was knee deep in it, and wading towards her. She also couldn't ignore the long shadow that fell over her back. She went rigid, and not from the cold.

* * *

A/N: Something tells me I may get shot/assissinated for the Joachim thing in this chapter. Heheh. Why do these chapters always seem so much longer when I type them? Here, once again, I thought I'd written a huge chapter to make up for a lack of updates...and it doesn't seem that long. Sorry. Elixer9.

P.S. Please review...and I'll love you forever.


	13. Chapter 13

**

* * *

**

**A/N: **Urp, why hello there. It's been awhile... Almost a year...again. My sincerest apologies.... freshman year of college destroyed me...so did personal matters. Yay depression. Apparently I'm one of artists that can do anything remotely artistic while depressed. I couldn't even paint. *sniff*. BUT that's all over and done with and I have a new chapter for you!! Possibly a second maybe tonight or within the next few days!!! *Victory theme from Final Fantasy VII here*. Uhm, I've actually been working on this chapter since probably December off and on, and I'm not really that happy with it. It would've been uploaded before last Christmas if it wasn't for the fact that I despise the conversation Soma has with his opponent in this chapter. Ughh, I hate that conversation. . So I'm sorry that it sucks. I tried, and I've been trying.... nothing else will be that terrible I promise! Anyway, sorry for any OOC or grammar mistakes it's been awhile... I tried breaking up the paragraphs as per requested, I think I did a better job, but there's still one or two that maybe long but I couldn't find a decent place to split them. I'll keep trying though. Thanks a bunch for still reading everyone! Elixir9 3

Disclaimer: Still a no.

**Chapter 13**

Something cold ran down his face, it tasted salty against his lips before it dropped to the floor and left the smallest dark circle. As if unsure of what was happening, Arikado lifted his hand hesitantly to his face. His cheek twitched a bit at his shocked touch as he carefully wiped the salty liquid from his face. He looked at his hand confused, and rubbed the liquid together causing it to dissolve into his pale skin. What was this? Was he crying? He couldn't be. He hadn't cried, not even the day his mother was burned, not even the day when Sonia Belmont left this world, or the day Maria's soul faded. Why now? _I must be going soft in my old age… _He thought solemnly trying to find a reason for the tears. He turned his gaze back to Joachim, and then lowered his head slowly.

"I swear on my mother's name, I will destroy what did this." He took a deep, slow, calculated breath, and lifted his head again. Slowly opening his narrow, stern eyes. For a second they flashed a goldish color and he turned his head to the side only slightly. "Show yourself, beast. And reveal what nightmare you crawled out of!" Behind him a large form rose up almost to the ceiling, and moved forward. The familiar slithering from the garden returning, and Arikado turned to face it.

He found himself looking upwards, craning his neck more and more in an attempt to see where the beast ended. Its body was covered from top to bottom in a leathery, scaly type of skin, and there were no distinguishable shapes just one long, coiled, solid one, that lined the room like carpet.

"I know you, beast! You are one of those who sprung from the serpents upon the head of Medusa, you who were once a part of her, were severed and created a life of your own…and now you reside here, doing nothing but causing an eternal stone sleep to those who enter. From somewhere above the snake hissed, and Arikado pulled a sword form his sleeve.

* * *

J couldn't see anything….but he sure as hell could feel it. For the first time in his life, J wished he had Soma or Arikado's abilities….he knew if he had those, he would be able to see what was laying in wait in the darkness, just beyond his realm of vision, he would be able to hear more than the pelting rain against the glass and the rumble of thunder that vibrated in his chest, he would be able to smell more than just the stagnant scent of must in the air, and he would probably be able to taste the beads of sweat he could feel forming on his face without them touching his old cracked lips…but J didn't have those abilities, and so he stood there, squinting into the unrelenting darkness, and seeing something completely different than Soma.

"Soma, please what do yo-"

"Shhhhh….." Soma didn't move, his lips barely parting enough to let the sound through, and not for a second did he break eye contact, he did not blink, he did not shift. He merely stared, and with his sight Soma's view of the room was different, his senses revealing so much more. His sight revealed a caped shadow staring at him, standing in front of a long table with dusty plates and cups upon it, his taste picked up on the faint taste of blood, a taste similar to copper…he swallowed hard. His nose twitched a bit in response to the pungent smell of worn musty clothes and once again a hint of copper…but his hearing that was the sense that bothered him, he could hear every drop of rain and every beat of J's heart…but from that shadow there was no heartbeat, there was no breath…there was nothing…The person, this shadow should not be standing there…they were dead…better yet they WERE Death. "J, I need you to do me a favor." Soma's voice barely audible above the increasing rainstorm.

J turned to look at him, "What is it, my boy?"

"Leave. Leave this area, find Yoko, and I want you two to get out of here." His voice still calm.

"What, Soma, what is it? What do your eyes see?"

Soma let out a halted breath, a part of him wondered why he was scared, another part knew, and for an instant J thought he saw Soma's breath form letters as he spoke his next word. "Death."

At the whisper of his name, the shadow bolted forward, and all J saw was a flash of silver, and a glimpse of white, before Soma and the shadow were gone in the darkness. He stood there for a moment, stunned, and from across the room he heard the distinct sound of blades clashing, metal on metal, and he could see the occasional spark from the scraping of weapons; hot, red, and glowing against the black. Each clink and clank made him wince a bit as if the blade had pierced his ribs. In an instant, J knew Soma was right, he had to leave, this wasn't his battle, and he couldn't see a damn thing, if he stayed here, he'd be in the way. "Soma! Win this fight! Be strong and don't give up! I'll see you on the outside!" With that, J turned and ran from the room.

Within the towering darkness, Soma dodged a stab by Deaths' scythe and bolted under the table to the other side. He turned again to face Death. They both froze, and locked in a stalemate, Death's creaky voice rose up.

"Eheheheheh, we meet again, Master."

"I am not your master."

"But you were once, and you will be again, I will release you from this mortal coil, and you will once again take your rightful thrown!"

"**No."** Soma shook his head. "I will not become that monster! I will take all the damage and wounds you can inflict, and I will survive this. You can tear my flesh, and break my bones, but I will not become him! I will do what they say is impossible…I will beat the Grim Reaper…I will beat Death!"

"Such bold words for a human…" Death's voice cackled, "For the Master's sake, I will end this foolishness tonight!" With that Death raised his scythe.

* * *

Blood dripped down from his face, soaking the material around his eyes, and began to puddle on the ground. Arikado tightened the grip on his sword.

"What now you poor bastard? Will your eyes still paralyze me if I have no eyes with which to see you?" He rested the edge of his sword on the ground, his blood sliding off the silver blade. He had blindfolded himself originally to block the sight of the Basilisk's eyes, but the glow of the red was starting to pierce through, and burn the fabric. Arikado's body had begun to turn to stone; with part of his lower arm just above the wrist now the dull color of tombstones and just as hard. He had realized the only way to win was to not be able to see his opponent, but when blindfolds fail there is only one way to not see. From the second he held the blade to his own face, Arikado was prepared to see what the blind see.

The bastard snake slithered away a bit, intent on throwing off Arikado's senses more. The snake moved in all directions back and forth and side to side, then stopped altogether. Arikado stood there in silence, contemplating the attack he knew would come, but the question was from where, which direction would those sharp fangs come forth to dig deep into his flesh? He listened calmly to the darkness, and heard nothing in return. Then a sound, and Arikado leaped back.

The basilisk's fangs ripping the flesh off of his upper arm, now that arm was practically useless for the time being, with part of it stone and the other part bleeding. From the direction of where the beast's head should be, he heard a terrible crash and shattering sound, and he realized that the snake had knocked over one of the statues.

The battle had taken a toll on both; the snake's depth perception had been decreased greatly since Arikado had managed to get a slice over one eye before he had to blind himself to survive. But now the snake still had one good eye, and Arikado only had four of his five senses. He heard the slither of the snake's body on the stone ground and prepared himself for the second assault in what would be a series of them.

* * *

Yoko glanced in the water hoping to see what was casting such a devious shadow upon her, but she just couldn't see, she walked forward a bit more, and felt the shadow move with her. She had to make it off that bridge, she just had to. A crackling sound like someone stepping on ice arose behind her and an ice cold hand landed on her shoulder, sending shivers down her spine. Carefully Yoko turned around and faced nothing more than herself. She stepped back in shock, and her counterpart did the same. She looked around a little nervously, thinking she was hallucinating. A mirage caused from extreme cold instead of extreme heat, after all she was in a desert, an arctic one at least; barren and near lifeless.

* * *

A/N: R&R and I give you my love!

* * *


End file.
